Stay (Modern AU)
by sillylittlehobbit
Summary: It made sense, of course, when he stopped to think about it – what with her evasive attitude and all. But now he knew that it was much more than that. [Short story / Modern AU] **Disclaimer** I do not own the characters or the plot of Naruto. Both are credited to the rightful owner, Masashi Kishimoto.
1. Part One

**Author's Note.** This was originally a reader-insert one shot request posted on my Wattpad, which I converted into a brief OC short story. Takes place in modern AU, and I tried to reflect Sasuke's personality accordingly. I hope you all enjoy! ~

* * *

 **Part One**

* * *

"Is this seat taken?"

The girl glanced up from her notebook and directed her eyes towards the open compartment door, where a young man presently stood awaiting her response. A small smirk was toying at his lips as he raised an eyebrow at her, his dark eyes regarding the girl with amusement.

She hadn't even realized that someone had opened the door, far too absorbed in what she was working on to notice. How long had he been standing there?

"Miss?" He questioned again, his smirk growing slightly.

The young girl refocused her attention on the man and rolled her eyes, removing the pencil that she had been dangling between her lips to give him a slight shrug.

"Go for it," she said in a bored manner, turning her attention back towards the notebook she had sprawled in her lap. She placed the tip of the pencil back between her teeth as the young man shuffled into the compartment, closing the door behind him. He swung his backpack onto the luggage rack above their heads before taking a seat directly across from the girl.

"I appreciate it," he said once he got comfortable. "Everywhere else is full."

The girl's eyes remained fixed on her notebook as she hummed a disinterested response. Her mind was focused elsewhere, and she wasn't one for small talk in the first place. She hoped desperately that this guy could take a hint – she couldn't afford to get distracted.

The compartment shook slightly as the train ambled along the tracks. Outside, the scenery blurred past, blending into a mirage of orange and red hues. Night was approaching, and she still had a lot of work to do.

"My name is Sasuke," the man said conversationally after a moment of silence. His voice was a deep monotone, and she could tell by his tone that he usually wasn't much for conversation either. But he was curious, and this fact did not go unnoticed by her.

"Interesting," she mused, never lifting her eyes from the notepad. She had removed the pencil from her lips once more and began scribbling across the paper.

It was only then that Sasuke noticed the map, wedged between the notebook and her lap. From what he could tell, she had sketched out several different routes throughout the area. Some locations were crossed off with bold, black X's while others were circled several times with red ink.

"Where are you headed?" He asked, more curious than ever. The girl sighed in obvious irritation.

"Wherever the hell this train will take me," she muttered shortly. For the first time in a while she glanced up, only to notice that his eyes weren't staring at her face, but at her map.

She frowned, quickly tucking the map into the pages of her notebook. Sasuke lifted his eyes to meet her narrowed gaze and smiled casually, pretending that nothing strange had just occurred between them.

"What are you working on?" His tone was light and carefree, but had doubtful undertones that she picked up on immediately.

The girl wasn't stupid. His voice was practically dripping with suspicion, no matter how casual he tried to act. She didn't like it one bit, nor did she like the questions he had been firing at her.

"Are you writing a book or something?" She retorted rudely, folding her legs up onto the seat. Sasuke chuckled.

"I'm just curious is all," he said smoothly, leaning back with a soft smirk on his face.

"Well don't be." She pulled the map back out from its hiding place, but kept it hidden behind her folded-up knees. She gave him a warning glance before continuing to scribble in her notebook.

Sasuke took this time, while her attention was directed elsewhere, to really look at her. He hadn't noticed before, but she had a very tattered pair of jeans on, the ends frayed slightly from wear, and a pair of worn and dirtied sneakers. Her honey-brown hair was pulled away from her face in a sloppy bun, and she had dark circles under a pair of soft green eyes. And despite the heat outside, the girl was also wearing a large, brown leather jacket that looked to be three sizes too big. Perhaps it had belonged to her father?

"I never got your name," Sasuke said suddenly, his suspicions only growing further. The girl glanced up at him over her notebook.

"Good," she said.

* * *

Nearly a month had passed since he had shared a compartment with the mysterious girl, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since. Of course, he thought about her from time to time, wondering where she was and if she was okay, but as the weeks passed him by, the girl slowly slipped from his mind.

The chances of him ever seeing her again were slim to none, anyhow, and he didn't want to waste his time worrying about it.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder as he headed out to his car, burying his hands deep into his pockets as he thought.

The girl honestly hadn't crossed his mind in weeks, and he wondered why now, of all times, he was thinking of her. It had been a usual day at school. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened that would have reminded him of the girl. So why was she suddenly plaguing his thoughts?

His lips tugged into a frown.

Something didn't feel right to him – he had a sudden queasy feeling in his stomach, and his hands felt cold despite the late August heat. There was something that seemed off, but he couldn't figure out what.

These feelings were quickly dispelled, however, as he approached his car. He opened the door and threw his bag in the back seat before getting in.

Perhaps he shouldn't have skipped lunch that afternoon. That must be why he felt so funny – he would have to stop somewhere for food on his way to the station.

* * *

"Did you bring the files?"

Fugaku Uchiha glanced up from his desk as his youngest son entered his office, his stern face peering expectantly at the dark-haired teen.

Sasuke's face remained impassive as pulled out a stack of folders from his backpack, tossing them onto the desk. His father had asked him to bring them to the police station, since he had forgotten them that morning in his rush to get to work.

"That was everything you left behind," Sasuke said, walking forward to lean against the edge of the table. Fugaku grunted, picking up the top folder and opening it. His eyes scanned over the paperwork and he sighed.

"Third one this week," he grumbled to himself, frowning at whichever case had appeared first.

"What's that?" Sasuke peered over the desk to glance at the file.

"Just another runaway," his father sighed, shaking his head slightly. He flipped the page over to read the personal description of the subject, and Sasuke blanched when he saw the picture.

It was the girl from the train, peering back at him sardonically from the top of the file. The photo was very obviously taken from a school yearbook, cropped so that the other students' pictures wouldn't be shown as well. It must have been an older picture, as she looked much younger than she did in person, but she wore the same solemn expression on her face as she had the first time he had met her.

Next to the picture was her name: Amano, Mei.

Sasuke felt as though his stomach had plummeted, and the queasy feeling he had experienced earlier quickly returned.

His father closed the folder and tossed it aside, completely unaware of the horrified look on his son's face.

Sasuke's mind was reeling.

It made sense, of course, when he stopped to think about it – what with her evasive attitude and all. He had just assumed at the time that she was cautious of talking to strangers, as most young women are socialized to be, or that perhaps she had a naturally negative reaction to interacting with people in general.

But now he knew that it was much more than that

He thought back to the dark circles that surrounded her eyes, and the tattered condition of the clothes that she wore; to the obvious irritation at his questioning, and the marked-up map that she had tried to hide from him.

Yes, the pieces definitely fit once he put them together in his mind. He felt foolish to have not realized it sooner. But there was one piece, one _crucial detail_ , that he still hadn't figured out.

 _What, or_ who _, is she running from?_


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

* * *

Her breathing came in heavy gasps as her sneakers smacked across the pavement, crunching through the wet gravel as she moved quickly down the deserted street. Behind her, shouts of pursuit echoed into the late September night.

" _Shit_ ," she whispered, clenching her teeth together as her heart pounded erratically against her chest.

The girl's throat felt tight, constricting further with each labored breath she dragged in, and despite her growing panic, she wished desperately in that moment that she had picked up at least some kind of sport in high school – she was way too out of shape for her own good.

Literally.

The men were close on her heels now, judging by the sounds of their shouting.

Mei wasn't quite sure _why_ they were so hellbent on capturing her, but she had little time to think about it. She had to get out of there, and _fast_ – her life depended on it.

The young girl rounded a corner, ducking into an alleyway, but quickly skidded to a halt. She cursed under her breath as she was met with a dead end.

This wasn't looking good for her, not in the slightest.

Without a second thought, she turned once more into the street.

The sound of a high-pitched scream sliced through the air, followed by the screeching of tires on asphalt and the loud blaring of someone slamming on their horn. She briefly saw the flash of headlights before she closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. But nothing ever came. She peeked an eye open and sighed in relief.

The car had stopped just inches from hitting her.

Mei's legs felt like they were about to collapse beneath her, but she forced herself to remain standing, preparing herself to take off running once more.

It wasn't until she looked through the windshield that she realized she recognized the person driving the car.

"It's _you_ ," she said in disbelief, her green eyes widening. What are the chances of running into _him_ again? The annoying man on the train, whose name she hadn't even bothered to remember. Whether it was karma or luck, she was about to find out.

Somewhere down the street a man shouted, and her eyes flickered in that direction. She licked her lips nervously as the feeling slowly returned to her paralyzed limbs.

And for the second time that night, she acted without thinking.

With one last glance down the street, Mei quickly ran to the other side of the car and opened up the door, hopping into the passenger seat. She slammed the door shut and turned towards what's-his-name.

"Step on it!" She ordered, glancing fearfully towards the street. When the guy opened his mouth to protest, she gave him her fiercest glare. " _NOW!_ "

He clamped his mouth shut and put the car into drive, slamming on the gas just as a group of dangerous-looking men burst out of the alley behind them.

* * *

They drove in silence for what felt like hours. City lights glimmered behind them as they raced out of the area, the tall buildings looming in the distance like frightening shadows chasing after them. As the city disappeared and the paved road turned into dirt, Mei finally spoke up.

"You can stop over here," she said, pointing to a pull-off area on the side of the road. Sasuke did as she instructed and killed the engine, leaning back in his seat with a sigh. His heart was still hammering in his chest, his body trembling from adrenaline, and he had so many questions whirling around in his head at that moment that he didn't know _where_ he should begin.

But the girl in his passenger seat didn't even glance at him as she began to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Well, thanks I guess," Mei said, reaching for the door handle.

Sasuke's hand shot out to grasp her wrist, and he gave her a look of utter disbelief.

" _Thanks_?" He asked incredulously, his voice edging on hysterical. Those dark, obsidian eyes of his flashed with an undeniable anger. " _Thanks?!_ You run out in front of my car, causing me to _nearly kill you_ , by the way, before jumping in _completely unwelcomed_ and yell at me to _step on it,_ as a gang of crazy looking men chase after us, and all I get is ' _thanks_ '?!" The Uchiha breathed heavily as he finished his rant, running his fingers hastily through his dark hair.

Mei merely quirked an amused eyebrow at him.

"You know, you look a lot less cool when you freak out like that," she said, a small smirk appearing on her face despite his fury with her. "Don't be so dramatic. Besides, the less you know the better, right?" She reached for the door again but Sasuke kept a firm grip on her wrist, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "Let me guess, you have more questions to ask me? Tell me, how's that book of yours coming along?"

"This isn't funny," Sasuke glared, clenching his teeth.

"I'm not laughing," she responded, just as seriously. And for the first time that night, he noticed just how frightened she actually looked. Her eyes were wild and frantic looking, and he could feel her hands tremble slightly beneath his grip.

Underneath all the sarcasm and her tough-as-nails demeanor, she was just as scared as he was.

Sasuke loosened his grip on her wrist and softened his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he murmured sincerely. The two stared at each other a moment longer until she finally sat back in her seat.

"Whatever," she said with a sigh. "I'll answer your questions, as thanks for getting me out of there, but don't waste my time. Got it?" Sasuke nodded eagerly, pleased with the prospects of finally getting the answers he had been seeking. Mei rolled her eyes at him once more.

"So, what do you want to know?" She asked, crossing her legs, one over the other.

"Why were those guys after you?" The girl frowned, pausing briefly before she replied.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, turning towards the window. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And I don't _want_ to know. I guess I shouldn't have been walking around so late by myself, but I was hungry. I was just looking for something to eat when they came after me." Sasuke watched as she toyed with her hands. Her knee was bouncing impatiently.

"Why were you alone?"

"I'm _always_ alone," she said a bit stiffly. "That's nothing new."

"Why?"

Mei sighed in irritation. "Why does it matter? I was alone, and those guys came after me. I ran, you found me, and we left. End of story. Can I go now?"

"Not yet," Sasuke said quickly. "I have one more question." Mei groaned, slumping further in her seat.

"What's the question," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Had the situation not been so serious, Sasuke might have laughed at her – she looked like such a child, pouting like that.

He shook himself from these thoughts, taking in a deep breath, before quietly asking, "Why did you run away?"

The question obviously took her by surprise. He watched as her body stiffened, her eyes widening, before she quickly recomposed herself. She narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha.

"What makes you think I ran away?" She fired back. Sasuke scoffed – she wasn't going to lie her way out of this one.

"My father works for the police station in Konoha," he told her. "Someone filed a missing person's report for you a month ago. I recognized you from the school picture that they sent. They stated that you were a runaway."

Mei snorted upon hearing this. "Those bastards."

"Excuse me?"

Her green eyes found his, and she smiled at him wryly.

"I ran away nearly a _year_ ago," she said bitterly. "Seven months at the very least, and I'm only _now_ getting reported as missing?"

Sasuke found his own eyes widening – she had been missing for that long?

"You said they sent a school picture?" Mei asked suddenly, and the Uchiha nodded, curious as to why this was important.

"Figures," she murmured, chewing on her lip in thought. "My parents would never have wasted the money to buy my school pictures, so it wouldn't have been them. I bet my high school reported me missing when I didn't come back for classes this year."

"Why wouldn't they have reported it sooner if you had been gone so long?"

"Beats me," she shrugged. "I left towards the end of January, right in the middle of the last school year." As she thought, a pained expression flashed across her eyes—so quick that Sasuke might have imagined it—before her face hardened. She grinned at him somberly. "I'm an easy person to forget, though. They probably didn't even notice I was gone. Besides, I didn't have the best track record to begin with in terms of attendance. I doubted they batted an eye when I stopped showing up." Sasuke's chest clenched at her words, and he frowned. He reached a hand out and placed it on top of hers.

"That's not true," he told her quietly, staring intently into her eyes to convey his sincerity. "I remembered you."

The girl before him blinked in surprise. She felt her cheeks warm, her eyes beginning to sting, before she quickly turned her head to stare once more out the window.

"Don't get all sentimental on me, now," Mei said, her voice tight, but teasing. "I'm not good at handling other people's emotions."

But despite her words, she squeezed his hand gently. Sasuke smiled.

"What will you do now?" He asked her. He was nervous to hear her response. Would she disappear again? But Mei turned her head and looked at him in shock.

"You mean you're not going to turn me in?"

Sasuke scrunched his eyebrows at this. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "You said your dad was a police officer, didn't you? And that he was working on my case? Aren't you going to turn me in to him?"

Oh. Right. He had honestly forgotten that part.

The Uchiha sat back in his seat and stared dumbly at the steering wheel.

"I wasn't planning on it," he admitted quietly. "You never told me why you ran away in the first place, but I'm assuming it was for a good reason." He looked at her expectantly. "Right?"

Mei sighed in relief, sinking back with a small smile.

"Right," she assured him. Sasuke nodded.

"Then that's that," he said, turning away from her confused expression to start up the car.

"Where are we going?" Her voice was hesitant, but he reassured her with a smile.

"Somewhere safe."


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

* * *

Sasuke watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept, the sound of her soft breathing filling the quiet apartment. He ran a hand through his dark locks and sighed, glancing at her sleeping form before resting his face in the palms of his hands.

His mind was a mess of thoughts, whirling and spiraling in a tangle of frantic circles that made his temples ache.

After the events of last night, he had decided to take her to the one place he knew she would be safe – his brother, Itachi's, apartment. Luckily, Itachi was studying in Europe for the semester, leaving his apartment unused until he returned in December.

Mei had been hesitant at first to follow Sasuke inside, but after the mention of a guest room with a queen-size bed and a master bathroom, she had reluctantly agreed.

Sasuke lifted his eyes to glance at her once more, noticing that, for the first time since he had met her, she looked completely at peace.

He was reluctant to leave her side. Part of him worried that she would disappear if given the opportunity. But the stronger part of him didn't want her to be alone, simply for the fact that she appeared to have been alone most of her life.

That thought in itself caused his heart to clench.

He didn't know this girl. He knew nothing about her, aside from the small collection of data he had read on her file. And yet, he felt such a strong urge to protect her. To shelter her from the hardships that she had already been forced to endure on her own. He thought back to the ride in the car.

 _"You kept a map," he had asked her as they drove to Itachi's. Mei sighed in obvious irritation, undoubtedly annoyed that he was still questioning her after she had asked him several times not to. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest._

 _"Yeah, and?"_

 _Sasuke merely shrugged, smiling despite the return of her spit-fire personality. "I was just wondering why."_

 _Mei was quiet as she sat in the passenger seat, casting her eyes out the window as she chewed her lower lip. As quick as it came, her attitude dispersed. Now she simply looked tired. Tired, and sad._

 _"I was looking for my older brother," she said quietly after a moment._

 _"And?"_

 _She turned her eyes towards Sasuke, who peered at her curiously through the corner of his eye._

 _"And as it turns out, he didn't want me either."_

Sasuke rubbed his temples and frowned. The digital clock on his left indicated that it was 4:26 a.m.

They had gotten to Itachi's around one in the morning, but he hardly felt tired. Hours had passed since he had found Mei, but his adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, keeping him on edge.

He sank back in his chair with a defeated sigh, deciding to stay beside her as she slept.

She had been alone long enough.

* * *

The first rays of sunlight shone through the sheer, cotton curtains, falling on her face like a blanket of gold.

Mei grimaced, shrinking from the light with a small, breathy sigh. She had been in the middle of a very wonderful, dreamless sleep – and she wished to return to it as soon as possible.

However, her nostrils were greeted with the savory scents of frying bacon and fresh coffee, and her drowsy eyes slowly opened, her stomach urging her from the warmth of the bed.

Sasuke was in the kitchen, placing silverware and glasses on the table when Mei entered. He gave her a small smile as she walked into the room, but she regarded him just as cautiously as she had the night before, and he realized that it would take quite some time before she would ever let her guard down around him.

"Good morning," he said, pulling out a chair and seating himself. "Did you sleep well?"

Mei nodded without speaking, staring at the food with hungry eyes. Sasuke chuckled softly.

"Help yourself." He couldn't suppress a small grin, especially when she sat down and scooped a huge pile of bacon, eggs, and toast on her plate.

It had been so long since she'd had a cooked meal.

The two ate in silence, and the tension hung in the air between them like a heavy cloak.

Finally, after emptying her third plate of food, Mei set her fork on the table and spoke for the first time that morning.

"Thanks."

She looked as though she had wanted to say more, but stopped herself, turning her eyes towards her empty plate. Sasuke waited a moment before speaking, giving her the opportunity to continue if she wanted. Evidently, she didn't.

"Don't worry about it," he replied awkwardly. "Hopefully my cooking wasn't too terrible. I tried to cook the eggs Sunnyside-up, but they kept breaking, so I had to scramble them instead." He was rambling, he knew that, but it got her to lift her eyes and stare at him in amusement.

"The cooking was fine," Mei said, a glimmer of a smile on her lips. "Though, I've never been much of a picky eater in the first place." She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and chewed on it. "I can clean up, since you did the cooking. And then I can be on my way."

The fork dropped from Sasuke's hand as he had been lifting it to his mouth. "You're leaving?"

Mei gave him a curious look. "You've done enough for me, Sasuke. Let me handle the rest." His blood began pumping fast, hot and heavy through his body. He couldn't tell whether it was from anger at her trying to leave again, or from fear at her possibly disappearing forever.

"You don't always have to do things alone, you know," he said tersely. He could feel warmth creeping up the back of his neck, spreading across his face as he glared at the girl in front of him. "Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"I don't need to drag anyone else into my mess. If your dad finds out—"

"He's not _going to_ find out," Sasuke reasoned heatedly. "And even if he does, I'm not worried about what's going to happen to me. It's _you_ I'm worried about. What would have happened to you last night if those men had caught up to you?"

Mei, who'd had her mouth open to retort, closed it promptly upon hearing his last sentence. She didn't want to think about what would have happened to her.

But she had gotten far enough on her own for her to change her ways, and trusting people wasn't exactly her forte.

Especially when it came to trusting men.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. There was something about Sasuke that was different than the other people she had met, but was that enough justification to trust him? Her mind told her _no,_ she had been hurt too much in the past to risk it – but her heart told her otherwise.

"Itachi will be gone until December," Sasuke said softly, almost pleadingly. "At least stay until then – he won't even notice anyone has been in here. I'll make sure of it."

December. Two months.

Mei shook her head.

"I turn eighteen in a couple weeks. The thirteenth of October. After that, I'll legally be an adult – I'll stay until then, and no later than that. Got it?"

"Deal," Sasuke agreed quickly. He didn't want to think about where she would go after, and whether he would see her again once she left. She had agreed to stay for two more weeks, and that was good enough for now.

Mei picked up her coffee mug and brought it to her lips, taking a slow sip before setting it back onto the table.

"And as for your brother finding out I was here, don't worry." A wry grin appeared on her face, and her next words sent an icy shiver of foreboding down his spine.

"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's disappearing."


	4. Part Four

**Part Four**

* * *

Sasuke opened the door to Itachi's apartment a week later, setting the groceries onto the counter and calling out a greeting to Mei as he entered. As he began unpacking the things he had bought, a slow sense of unease washed over him.

The apartment was quiet. Abnormally so, even with only one occupant.

He slowly set down the bag of carrots he had been holding and stepped out of the kitchen, into the darkened hall.

"Mei?" He called out, anxiety building in his stomach.

She wouldn't leave. Not without saying goodbye.

Would she?

Sasuke knocked on the door to the guest room before opening it.

Empty.

His heart began racing, beating erratically against his chest as he threw open the rest of the doors in Itachi's apartment.

All of them were empty.

"Goddammit." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair before turning, preparing to exit the vacant room when a voice sounded out from the doorway.

"Sasuke?"

Mei stood in the hall, staring at him with a concerned look on her face. In her hands, she held a fountain pop from the gas station down the street. The Uchiha released a breath of air, exhaling in relief as he rushed forward.

Mei widened her eyes as the ravenette enveloped her in his arms, pressing her into his chest. Sasuke buried his face in her messy tresses.

"I thought you'd left," he breathed, squeezing her as though assuring himself she was really there. Mei's arms hung limply at her sides, the drink dangling dangerously between her fingertips.

Never, in her years of existence, had anyone _cared_ whether she had left or not. No one had ever cared whether she came back, either.

And here was this boy that she had hardly known, one she had disliked upon first meeting him – and he was worried over losing her?

The idea left a strange feeling in her stomach, and a knot formed in her throat.

She hated feeling vulnerable, yet Sasuke triggered something within her that made her feel weak in the knees and fluttery in the chest. It terrified her, yet comforted her all the same.

So, with watery eyes and a shaky voice, she whispered a small, "I'm sorry," before dropping her drink and wrapping her arms around him, pulling herself against him and burying her head in his chest.

It was the first time she could remember feeling safe in the close presence of another human being.

* * *

October thirteenth.

The day that things would permanently change for Mei Amano, the girl who had been rejected by the only family that she had ever known. The girl who had grown up far too quickly, and had spent most of her years on this earth by herself, fighting her battles singlehandedly without ever experiencing any form of kindness until she had met a certain stranger on a train.

And above all, the girl who Sasuke had somehow, by an interesting twist of fate, fallen in love with in the short amount of time he had known her.

He shifted the box he held to one hand, using the other to knock on the apartment door. A moment passed before he heard the soft 'clicking' of the locks, and Mei opened it.

"It's official," she beamed, her eyes glittering with an excitement he didn't know she was capable of. She seemed weightless, buoyant... _happy_. The sight of her in such a joyful state took his breath away, and he found himself feeling just as elated.

The two of them walked into the kitchen-area and he set the box on the table.

"What's that?" Mei inquired, looking at the box curiously. Sasuke smirked at her.

"It's your birthday, isn't it?" He lifted the top half of the box to reveal a small, white-frosted cake, decorated with purple and blue flowers. Across the top, her name was written in an icy blue frosting, along with the words 'Happy 18th Birthday!'.

Mei stared at it with wide eyes, and she suddenly looked as though she were about to cry.

Sasuke laughed nervously. "Don't tell me you've never had a birthday cake before." But the look on her face told him otherwise, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. Mei, however, gave him a genuinely pleased smile.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she said earnestly, looking at him with a tenderness she had never shown anyone. Sasuke flushed.

"It's just a cake," he mumbled, looking away from her. But her cool fingers gripped his chin and brought his face back towards her.

"No," she said with a warm smile. This was such a change from the cold, hardened girl he had come to know over the past few weeks, and yet he loved her all the same. His dark eyes locked with her bright green ones, and he was suddenly very aware of their close proximity. Her hand lingered on his jaw, holding his gaze. "Thank you for _everything_ ," Mei continued. "I can't begin to explain how grateful I am to have met you, even though I've been nothing but a royal pain in your ass. I don't know how I will ever repay you for all that you've done for me."

Sasuke wanted to tell her that meeting her in itself was enough payment to last him a lifetime. That he had never met anyone quite like her in his brief time on earth, nor did he think he ever _would_ meet someone like her again. He wanted to tell her that the only pain she brought him, was the pain he had wanted to share with her that she felt she had to carry on her own. All of these things that he wanted to tell her, and yet he feared he would never be able to put them into words.

Instead, he reached a hand out and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"All I want is for you to promise me one thing," he murmured quietly, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. He ignored the nervousness swelling in his chest as he inhaled her soft scent of vanilla. And contrary to what he had expected, Mei didn't pull away from him. Rather, she found herself leaning into him.

"Anything," she whispered back.

"Please," Sasuke began, his hands cradling her face as he stared intensely into her eyes. "Please, don't disappear again."

Those words rang out, entering through her ears yet penetrating her soul with such a depth that it was almost tangible.

 _He wanted her to stay_.

Something that no one had _ever_ wanted of her. But who was to say that _he_ wouldn't leave _her_? The idea struck a nerve of anxiety, which rippled throughout her entire being, and she almost pulled away from him. But as she looked into his endless, obsidian eyes, she realized that they reflected nothing but warmth and honesty. She spoke before she even realized it.

"I promise," she said softly, deciding suddenly that she truly meant it – that she wanted nothing more than to stay by his side for as long as he would let her. And judging from the look that Sasuke gave her, one of pure happiness and relief, she was assured that she had made the right choice.

With nothing left to say, Mei found herself leaning up to capture his lips in a heated kiss, conveying all of the emotions that were surging through her body, with which he returned fervently. He pulled her into him, caging her small body within the confines of his arms – and she had let him.

Because for once, in her eighteen years of life, she felt _safe_ ; _loved_.

And she was going to stay.

* * *

 **End**


End file.
